Abstract
The present work deals with the effects of psychotropic drug therapy on the operation of psychomotor functions used in a clinical examination of suspected drunken drivers. 100 psychiatric mental, but otherwise healthy, patients were examined; the type of medication and the number of drugs used varied greatly. In 71 cases the mean degree of error in the clinical examination was higher, and, in several of these, markedly higher than the reference values obtained earlier on suspected drunken drivers when the blood contained very small amounts of alcohol or none at all. In 18 cases coarsely-divided nystagmus was registered in patients on psychotropes. This is an obvious sign of a marked side-effect of medication but was present more infrequently than in subjects with after ingestion of alcohol.
The present results indicate that application of the clinical examination method, which was originally developed for and related to the examination of alcohol cases, to subjects on psychotropes is adequate, and it is possible with clinical examination to obtain valuable medicolegal information on the impairment of physiological functions. The present review of suspected dragged drivers examined in Helsinki in 1969–1972 also supports this view.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alha, A.: Blood alcohol and clinical inebriation in Finnish men. Ann. Acad. Sci. fenn. A 26, 1–92 (1951)
Bonnichsen, R., Dimberg, R., Maehly, A., åqvist, S.: LÄkemedel och trafik. Medd. Inst. för Maltdryckforskning 16, 1–48 (1968)
Elbel, H., Schleyer, F.: Blutalkohol. Stuttgart: G. Thieme 1956
Gerchow, J.: Alkohol und Verkehrstüchtigkeit. In: Handbuch der Verkehrsmedizin. K. Wagner and H.-J. Wagner, eds. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1968
Goldberg, L., Havard, J. D. J.: Research on the effects of alcohol and drugs on driver behaviour. Paris: OECD 1968
Heifer, U.: Untersuchungen über die Wertigkeit von Alkoholwirkungs-Merkmalen. Blutalkohol 2, 244–258 (1963)
Heifer, U., Sellier, K., Kutzner, M.: Experimentelle und statistische Untersuchungen über den alkoholbedingten postrotatorischen Fixationnystagmus. Blutalkohol 3, 537–557 (1966)
Heifer, U., Wichmann, D.: Der grobschlÄgige Drehnachnystagmus als Zeichen der Alkoholwirkung. Blutalkohol 1, 257–271 (1961)
Kataja, M., PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M.: Combining the blood alcohol and clinical examinations for estimating the influence of alcohol. Blutalkohol 12, 108–115 (1975)
Kataja, M., PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M., Uotila, U.: Die Vorhersage des Blutalkohols auf Grund der klinischen Befunde bei presumptiven Verkehrsbetrunkenen. Blutalkohol 9, 451–456 (1972)
Kibrick, E., Smart, G.: Psychotropic drugs use and driving risk. A review and analysis. J. Safety Res. 2, 73–85 (1970)
Kürtzinger, R.: Die phasenverschiedene Wirkung des Alkohols. Dtsch. Gesundh.-Wes. 33, 1742–1749 (1960)
Milner, G.: Drugs and driving. Basel: Karger 1972
Milner, G., Landauer, A. A.: Haioperidol and diazepam, alone and together with alcohol in relation to driving safety. Blutalkohol 10, 247–254 (1973)
Osterhaus, E.: Forensische Bedeutung von Medikamenten im Stra\enverkehr. Blutalkohol 2, 398–414 (1964)
PenttilÄ, A., Lehti, H., Lönnqvist, J.: Nystagmus and disturbances in psychomotoric functions induced by psychotropic drug therapy. In: Psychiatria Fennica: Kunnallispaino 1975a
PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M.: The use of computer for analysis of clinical test performance results and final evaluation in material concerning examination for intoxication. OECD Int. Symp. on countermeasures to driver behaviour under the influence of alcohol and other drugs in London. London 1972 (in press, 1975)
PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M.: Clinical examination as a medicolegal proof of alcohol intoxication. Medicine, Science, and the Law (in press, 1975)
PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M., Kataja, M.: Clinical examination in cases of suspected drunken driving. An evaluation of the Finnish system on the basis of 6839 cases. Reports from Talja, The Central Organization for Traffic Safety in Finland 11, 1–43 (1971a)
PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M., Kataja, M.: Computer analysis of clinical test correlations with blood alcohol and the physician's final evaluation of the stage of intoxication in cases of suspected drunken driving. Blutalkohol 9, 102–112 (1971b)
PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M., Kataja, M.: Computer analysis of the clinical test performances results in the intoxication material utilizing the point counting system. Blutalkohol 9, 260–270 (1971c)
PenttilÄ, A., Tonhu, M., Kataja, M.: Examination of alcohol intoxication in cases of suspected drunken drivers. II Reports from Liikenneturva, The Central Organization for Traffic Safety in Finland 15, 1–78 (1974)
PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M., Kataja, M.: Examination model for suspected drunken drivers. Blutalkohol (in press, 1975b)
PenttilÄ, A., Tenhu, M., Lehti, H., Kataja, M.: Die klinischen Befunde der Trunkenheitsuntersuchung bei Personen mit Blutalkohol 0,00–0,15%. Blutalkohol 8, 99–114 (1971d)
Soehring, K., Walters, H. G.: Pharmakologische Grundlagen der Wirkung von Arzneimitteln auf die Verkehrstüchtigkeit. In: Handbuch der Verkehrsmedizin. K. Wagner and H. J. Wagner, eds. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1968
Steigleder, E.: Statistische Auswertung der Dokumentation gerichtsmedizinischer Blutalkoholbefunde aus Schleswig-Holstein. Blutalkohol 5, 493–596 (1968)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was supported by grants from the Sigrid Jusélius-Foundation and the Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies, Helsinki, Finland.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
PenttilÄ, A., Lehti, H. & Lönnqvist, J. Psychotropic drugs and impairment of psychomotor functions. Psychopharmacologia 43, 75–80 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00437618
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00437618